Historic Torah to be dedicated at Temple Beth Sholom Sunday

The Temple Beth Sholom Brotherhood’s newly acquired Sefer Torah has plenty of untold stories behind its journey from the city of Pilsen in the Czech Republic to Framingham.

Scott O’Connell

The Temple Beth Sholom Brotherhood’s newly acquired Sefer Torah has plenty of untold stories behind its journey from the city of Pilsen in the Czech Republic to Framingham.

The tale of how the handwritten scroll even survived, as it fell from its original owner, the Great Synagogue of Pilsen – the third largest synagogue in the world – into the hands of the Nazis, to Czech authorities, and then finally to a British philanthropist, was alone worth the five years and thousands of dollars it took the Brotherhood to secure it.

“We believe the Torah is a living document,” said Aaron Zwicker, a former Temple Brotherhood president. “To save a Torah is the same as saving a human being.”

This particular Torah’s story begins in Pilsen, once a thriving Jewish community that became occupied by Nazi Germany during the Third Reich. Like countless others under Adolf Hitler’s authority, it was confiscated by the Nazis and taken to be stored in Prague for a future exhibit.

“They had decided to build a museum to a dead race,” Zwicker said.

After Germany was defeated in World War II, the collection was largely neglected by what was then the Czechoslovakian government, until its existence was discovered by an English art dealer, who in the 1960s brokered a deal for it. The Memorial Scrolls Trust was later established for the collection’s protection.

“Their goal was to distribute the Torahs and artifacts to keep them alive, rather than stored in a dungeon,” Zwicker said.

Five years ago, a representative from Temple Beth Sholom made the trek to England to submit an application for one of the Torahs. About two or three years later, the trust called back with an offer, according to Zwicker.

The purchase cost about $5,000, and didn’t give the Temple outright ownership of the document – “we’re just the caretakers for it,” he said.

The Brotherhood also raised money to install a memorial at the 50 Pamela Road synagogue to house the Torah, which will be dedicated at a ceremony at the Temple this Sunday.

Aside from being an important religious document, the new acquisition is a reminder of the atrocities committed against Jews during the Holocaust, Zwicker said, as well as a testament to the Jewish people’s resolve and tribute to those who perished. An inscription on the memorial above the Torah will read “Zachor”: Hebrew for “remember.”

“Our goal is to educate,” Zwicker said, “So that these horrors never happen again.”

Two Holocaust survivors will speak at Sunday’s dedication, including a man, Morris Hollender, who hails from the same country as the Temple’s Torah. The other, Rabbi Joseph Polak, is the director of the Boston University Hillel.

The event will run from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Breakfast will be served.

Seats are limited, and cost $8 per person. Anyone who would like to attend can contact Zwicker at aarzwi@gmail.com.

(Scott O’Connell can be reached at 508-626-4449 or soconnell@wickedlocal.com.)